Friday, October 28, 2016

Saturday is normally my long run, but I really wanted to run the Baxter Village 5K so I ran long on Thursday. The 5k is a free race for the whole family, the only cost is for the optional tee. I'm hoping to get one before the race, since I registered late and the shirt was no longer available for preorder.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

I will start with Tuesday of last week, then! I had five miles planned and they were pretty decent miles with negative splits. This is not something I work on, but it seems to be happening a lot lately, since my IT Band loosens up after mile three.

Wednesday I had Girls on the Run, and I usually walk the track with the girls, and then there was a dog walk. Nothing crazy.

Thursday was supposed to be a pseudo long run. My legs just wouldn't loosen up! I had shin pain as well, so after two miles I stopped and walked two more, so at least I got in four miles. Right? Ugh.

Friday I drove to Amelia Island for the Zooma half Marathon and, after being in the car all day, decided to take a two mile walk on the beach. It.was.glorious.

Saturday was the half marathon. After three miles of sheer hell, my shin and IT Band completely loosened up and I sailed through the last ten miles. It was almost as glorious as that two mile walk on the beach. For real. Every doubt hat I had about NYC was just washed away by that run.

Sunday was a rest day. I did get a pic of the group from the RRCA coach certification course, which was awesome.

Aren't we a beautiful bunch?!?

Monday I ran five miles, no shin pain, and my IT Band loosened after the second mile. I swear, I could hear the angels singing.

Okay, I'm a little childish. Are you surprised?

Wednesday I was supposed to run but I felt like death warmed over. Darn allergies. I did Muddle through a 20 minute yoga video from Bad Yogi, focusing on shoulders and back. It was pretty nice, I'm not gonna lie. Then off to Girls on the Run, but no laps for me. All that fresh air made me feel worse!

I was determined to make up those miles today. I had to do the six from Wednesday, but I felt so amazing as I ran that I added an extra mile, and took care of Saturday's long run today. Now I can do a Fun Run in Baxter Village on Saturday instead! I still have to decide about those six miles from today, but I'm tapering, so I don't really need them. Hmmmmmm I also did a test run on this new beauty from Skirt Sports, in case it's cold on marathon Sunday. They are super comfy so it's a win!

Oh, and negative splits for the win! I was running under 13 minutes a mile for the last three. I used to be much faster, but with my injuries over the past two years I will take it.

Friday, October 21, 2016

This morning I drove down to Amelia Island in Florida so that I can run Zooma again! This will be my third Zooma race, but my first in Florida. As an ambassador, my race entry is free, but all other expenses are my responsibility.

I got to my hotel at about 2:00 and after I checked in, I went right to the beach. It felt so good to actually walk in the waves and squish my feet in the sand.

There was still some debris from Matthew, but mostly palm trees and sculptures like this.

After about 45 minutes of frolicking in the waves it was time to hit the expo. It is being held at the race finish... the Ritz Carlton. As I walked up to the banquet hall, I could see a wedding rehearsal out in the grass. ❤️❤️❤️

I got my swag, talked to Brooke, who is one of the amazing race directors, and then went back to the hotel for a quiet night of iPad games and Lightening Thief reading...

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Monday, October 17, 2016

Soooooo, this happened over the weekend. It was an amazing experience and I met some truly inspiring future coaches. I learned so much and I'm itching to take the test to become a certified running coach!

I will definitely be applying everything I learned to my own training, and I look forward to helping other new runners, especially those, like me, who were told they couldn't do it.

Bonus: the class was in Myrtle Beach, and even though they are still recovering from Hurricane Matthew, I really needed that weekend of salt air. I miss the smell of the ocean and it helps to get a whiff every now and then.

Once I take, and pass, the test, I will post more. I still have so much to process and I don't want to miss anything!

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Instead of a training update, I thought I would share what goes though my head during a long run. I didn't really run much this week, because of my tight leg muscle, so there isn't much to report anyway.

I asked the hubs to wake me up at 6, so that I could be out and running by 6:30 or so. He forgot. I woke up at 6:40 and managed to get out the door by 7:30. I had 18 miles planned and I was worried about the SC sun at the end of the run.

I was worried about the tightness I've been having. It's either IT Band or hamstring. I've been stretching and taking easy. The first two miles were hell, I'm not gonna lie. I was ready to stop before I barely started. I stopped to stretch my shins about four times in those two miles but then everything loosened up and I was pain free for the entire rest of the run. Pain free. Leg, shins, everything.

This was mile three. I planned a course that ran through my development and the one next door. It covered about 8 miles. In those 8 miles were about 5 monster hills. Five. Now double that, plus a few more. That's the course I had to deal with. It.was.ugly.

At least it was pretty.

After the first six miles I ditched the long sleeves and continued on. I was feeling good. And optimistic. This lasted until about mile 13.

I was tired. I was HOT. I was really really tired. I have been fighting either a cold or allergies all week and it was taking its toll.

Fake smile time. I was out of water, and I knew I would have to stop at home. The closer I got, the more convinced I was that I would not finish.

This was mile 14.6 and I was really dragging. I could barely lift my feet. Darn allergies. I was also have some stomach issues. Because I'm a girl. Ya know? Sorry boys!

At mile 15.5 I had to admit defeat and turn back. I was at the bottom of a hill that I knew I couldn't go up.

Does this make me nervous about NYC?

Nope. Let me tell you why.

I covered twice the hills in this run. Maybe more. Flatter races are easier than hilly long runs.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Today was International Day of the Girl, a day for women all over the world to support each other and empower young women. As a show of support, women all over the country threw on some pink and ran some miles together!

I was bummed that I didn't have my official If Girls Ran the World shirt for the run but I got a fun surprise in the mail later that day.

I can't wait to wear this on Thursday for my long run. It's the perfect message for today. Virtually anything is possible. Anything.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the group run in Charlotte! If you live in the area, throw on something pink and meet me at the Piper Glen Greenway at 7 am. I have six miles planned, although I might do three. We can run or walk, all paces welcome. It's all about girl power!

I hope I see you there! I have some friends who are running at five, but I just can't get up that early!

We can go to Starbucks after for some post run beverages, they have a great outside area if the weather is right, and plenty of indoor seating if it's not!

Friday, October 7, 2016

I hope that all of my Southeast friends are safe, especially those in Florida. We are too far west in Sc to make evacuation necessary, but we already had plans to visit my parents in Pennsylvania for their 50th anniversary.